Brooklyn building collapse kills at least two and injures ten

A three-story building containing apartments and businesses collapsed beside a construction site in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, November 11. At least two people were killed and ten were injured, four of them critically, according to the latest Associated Press report following a news conference by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Rescue crews were still searching the wreckage.

Firefighters received the call shortly after 4 p.m. local time. The building fell toward an open construction lot next door. Television footage showed brick and timber debris in the excavated area and emergency crews clearing rubble by hand. Reuters reported that two people were brought out alive hours after the collapse.

The rescue continued as crews searched for anyone who might still be trapped. Fire Department Chief John Esposito said officials did not yet know how many people were missing, according to AP. Authorities expected search and rescue work to continue for several days, leaving the casualty count provisional.

According to AP, a one-story structure had been demolished on the neighboring lot for a construction project. That describes the setting of the collapse; authorities had not established its cause or whether the work next door played any role. City Department of Buildings inspectors were assessing the stability of nearby properties, the local outlet amNewYork reported.

The collapse also exposed rooms in a building that shared a wall with the fallen structure. Search dogs joined the operation, and crews worked by portable light as night fell, AP reported. Mayor Zohran Mamdani asked people to avoid the area so responders could work and expressed solidarity with affected residents.

The initial casualty figures were issued while the rescue was still under way. Officials had not announced a cause or a final toll at the time of this report.